The post-hardcore outfit Built Upon Sand from Newcastle upon Tyne has released a new music video for their song “Integrity”. The polished and meticulously-tight track originally premiered with Last.fm and is the first single on their debut EP, Blind Justice (release date TBA).

“This is a tale of two twisted souls separated by trust, encapsulated by Built Upon Sand’s raw emotion and melody,” says clean vocalist Joe Pye

Connect with Built Upon Sand:

Indie pop has never been so therapeutic as The Ivory’s Gloom EP. Shane Crump’s newest release has five songs equally drenched in vulnerability and irresistible charm. The great thing about these tracks is that they are laden with contagious hooks while boasting honest, relatable lyrics. It’s the type of pop music that you never need to feel guilty about listening to.

The intro track, “Be Young, Be Free” is an anthem for everyone who has gone through the roller coaster of a relationship that didn’t quite work out. Crump croons out piercing and empathetic lines such as, “Why can’t just one of us give up and end this?” and “I thought you were love at first sight,” before concluding, “It’s true, it’s true/I’m getting over you.” It’s a song that gives hope for closure for the broken hearted.

It seems like the big choruses never cease, but in a great way. Every song on Gloom EP communicates internal feelings via buttery verses and singalong melodies akin to The Fray.

“I’m A Mess” was released as a free-to-download single, and for good reason. It is the epitome of the sincere tone of the record. Crump battles between attachment and closure within every stanza of lyrics. In all of The Ivory’s words are sentiments that resound with nearly every listener and craft an endearing connection to these songs.

“I Miss You” is a mellow song carried by electronic beats and subtle harmonies. Lyrically, it is in step with the rest of the songs as Crump sings about trying to heal a broken heart. The bridge of the song is guided by atmospheric synths dancing in the background as an Imogen Heap-styled symphony of harmonies softly utter, “Let’s find a new place to start/And fix each other’s broken hearts/All I ever wanted was you”.

With every track comes melodies that infest themselves into your mind. Crump displays a polished proficiency at writing honest songs in a way that allows every listener to latch onto the lyrics and hooks and empathize with his emotions.

Gloom EP’s closing track, “Torn” leaves listeners with a delicate, yet resounding message. As the pulsating synths and reverberating chords cease and Crump coos over an acoustic guitar, “Baby if you want this now/Then just say it out loud/ That you want to hold on, hold/Or just move on,” an inevitable wave of sorrow flows through the speakers.

It is clear that Crump was going through a difficult time while making this record. But as is so often the case, tragic times yield beautiful, expressive music. Gloom EP may be written with tears and unrequited feelings, but it feels far from gloomy.
While most songs don’t stray too far from the other stylistically and lyrically, The Ivory has released an album that buds from one big idea, and that is that love can cause pain, but there is room for healing. It only needs to be found.

One of Barcelona’s most popular pop-punk bands, Daylight, has released a new music video for the song “Kickbacks” off their recent album One More Fight. The high-energy video, which originally premiered at AbsolutePunk, was shot by Bruno Marin.

“Imagine coming back home after some months away. You miss your friends, your family and all those little things you’re used to do,” says vocalist/bassist Wojtek Burek. “That happens to us while we’re on tour. After doing 100 shows this year, we realize that back in town, nothing has changed and we come back with a great life experience plus a lot of stories and anecdotes to tell.”

DEBUT ALBUM BROKENTOOTH OUT 8/11

Chris James from the Rise Records band Defeat The Low has joined the Portland quintet DIVIDES on their new single “Echoes Fade”. The song, which premiered with Blunt Magazine, is off the band’s upcoming debut album Brokentooth.

” The lyrics for this song were written in pieces since we moved down from Alaska,” says bassist Joe Jackson. “Transitions anywhere can be hard, but the worst part is being away from the people you love. These lyrics in particular were really therapeutic for me to write, I’m reminded of that every time we play it. I wanted it to be less about the tragedy of absence and loss, and more so about not letting yourself get trapped in the past and the memories that hold you there. Having our friend Chris add vocals to the song really helped convey that message.”

Brokentooth will be released independently on 8/11. Vocalist CJ Marie spoke about the process of creating the album. “In August 2013, DIVIDES moved from Anchorage, Alaska to Portland, Oregon. We didn’t have jobs, or really a place to live, let alone any contacts in the music scene down here. Brokentooth was written during this process and after our relocation. It reflects the torment and elation that we’ve experienced over the past two years. It’s really difficult to leave your families and friends and comfort zone to pursue a dream that you’ve had your entire life, but it’s also really fucking rewarding. Musically, the album is so schizophrenic because it reflects the tumult of our lives, and the tremendous increase in our collective influences. This album marks the first recording that our new guitarist Paul Anderson contributed to and his addition really affected the way we think about music. We sort of challenged ourselves to push the limits on what we consider ‘our sound’.”

Connect with DIVIDES:

The emo pioneers, Time Spent Driving, are streaming their new album Passed & Presence at BrooklynVegan. This is group’s first record since 2007 and you can reserve your copy before it comes out on 7/21 via the Cardigan Recordswebsite or through iTunes

“Having finished recording the album just about a year ago, we’re super excited to finally get it out into the wild,” says frontman *Joe Cattivera. “To us, every song on the album has a unique identity that stands on its own, and we feel like we’ve also breached plenty of new territory, while staying true to who we are. With our three original core members back in the fold, it was easy to pick up where we left off. The surface has really just barely been scratched–there’s plenty more where that came from.”

Connect with Time Spent Driving:

Melodic-hardcore band Dismissed from New Hampshire has released a new lyric video for their song “Worth Your Time”. The video originally premiered with Idobi Radio and was produced by Cold Eye Productions. The song comes from the band’s upcoming EP Nightskies (release date TBA).

“‘Worth Your Time’ helped us close chapters in our lives that we weren’t willing to accept and we hope it can do the same for others”- Evan Middleton (Vocals)

Connect with Dismissed:

The emo pioneers, Time Spent Driving, are streaming their new single “Skins and Knees” at Substream Magazine. The track is from the band’s upcoming album Passed & Presence, the group’s first record since 2007. You can reserve your copy before it comes out on 7/21 via the Cardigan Recordswebsite or through iTunes

Frontman Joe Cattivera says, “Sometimes the best songs are the ones that sound like they’re about someone else, when they’re really about yourself. Historically most of our songs have been about someone else or something else—but the perspective on this album is a lot more from the outside looking in, and this one’s an example of that. The bulk of this song was written years ago, probably around 2007, and reiterated once we started playing again. We didn’t want to be afraid of keeping it raw, straight-forward and simple in a way that we feel is uncharacteristic and a little uncomfortable for us.”